Through
this national program, volunteers are trained and certified by the IRS to offer free tax preparation assistance
to ensure that working families and individuals are filing for all of the
appropriate tax credits. It can also help people avoid
costly fees associated with tax preparation and rapid refund loans.
The program is
looking for volunteers at the VITA sites located in downtown Middletown to
provide free basic tax preparation assistance for eligible taxpayers. Tax
preparation assistance is offered January 22–April 10, 2013 at the offices of
Middlesex United Way and NEAT.
Volunteers
complete training and are certified by the IRS. Training will be held from
January 7-10 or January 14-17 in the evening. Volunteers must attend
consecutive evening sessions. You will be trained to let filers know if they
qualify for additional tax credits, such as the federal and the new state
Earned Income Tax Credits (EITC) and the Child and Dependent Care Tax Credit.
VITA
volunteers must complete a minimum of one 4-hour shift per week during tax
season in the late afternoons and evenings or on Saturdays; maintain
confidentiality of all client information; and deal with the public in a
helpful and supportive manner.
In 2012, the two VITA
sites in Middletown helped 349 Middlesex County residents file their taxes for
free and returned $450,000 back to taxpayers. Those who filed with our VITA
sites had an average Adjusted Gross Income of $20,053 and received an average
refund of almost $1,500, money they have earned. This impacts not only those
who filed their taxes, but also their families and the local economy.
For more information about
volunteering, contact David Morgan at dmorgan@wesleyan.edu or (860) 346-1522.
VITA is a
free program offered by the federal government. The local Middletown VITA sites
are coordinated by Middlesex United Way and the Middlesex VITA Coalition.
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